A very quick moving winter storm affected most of New Jersey during the first half of the day on December 9th. From Somerset and Hunterdon Counties northward, snow began falling between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. EST and fell at its heaviest between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m. EST. The snow ended by 11 a.m. EST. Across Mercer, Middlesex and western Monmouth County, snow began falling around 4 a.m. EST.  The snow mixed with and changed to sleet and freezing rain from 8 a.m. EST until it ended around 11 a.m. EST. In southwestern New Jersey (the Philadelphia suburbs), precipitation started as snow around 3 a.m. EST and changed to sleet and freezing rain around 6 a.m. EST. For the rest of the winter storm until precipitation ended around 10 a.m. EST, precipitation went back and forth between snow during heavier precipitation bursts and freezing rain and sleet during lighter precipitation periods. In southeastern New Jersey away from the shore precipitation began as freezing rain around 5 a.m. EST. The precipitation mixed with sleet and just plain rain at times until it ended around 9 a.m. EST. Precipitation along the coast fell mainly as rain. Snow accumulations averaged 1 to 3 inches in the southern half of the state where there was more sleet and freezing rain and 3 to 11 inches in the northern half of the state with the highest accumulations in the extreme northern part of the state. Ice accretions in the southern part of the state averaged around one-quarter of an inch and reached nearly four-tenths of an inch in Cumberland and Burlington Counties.  Many schools never opened or had delayed openings. Non-essential state workers did not have to report to work until 10 a.m. EST. New Jersey Transit delays into New York City averaged 40 minutes. For the municipalities, the heaviest snow could not have fallen at a more inopportune time just before and during the morning commute. The combination of the ice on trees and power lines and stronger winds during the day caused about 21,000 homes and businesses to lose power in southern New Jersey. In Egg Harbor Township (Atlantic County), two people were killed in their sleep when a Sports Utility Vehicle careened from a slick road and crashed through their bedroom. In Monmouth County, the icy roads led to a twelve vehicle pile-up in Eatontown on the exit ramp from New Jersey State Route 18 onto New Jersey State Route 36. In Morris County, about 50 accidents were reported on Interstates 80 and 287 and on New Jersey State Route 24. In Warren County, a jack-knifed tractor trailer blocked traffic on Interstate 80. A minivan crashed into the tractor trailer.Specific snow accumulations included 11.0 inches in High Point and Highland Lakes (Sussex County),10.3 inches in Andover (Sussex County), 10.0 inches in Newton (Sussex County), Blairstown (Warren County), and Frenchtown (Hunterdon County), 9.5 inches in Budd Lake (Morris County), 9.4 inches in Marcella (Morris County), 9.3 inches in Sparta (Sussex County), 8.5 inches in Branchburg (Somerset County), 8.3 inches in Annadale (Hunterdon County), 8.1 inches in Stewartsville (Warren County) 8.0 inches in Flemington (Hunterdon County), 7.6 inches in Hillsborough (Somerset County), 7.0 inches in Morristown (Morris County), 6.0 inches in Metuchen (Middlesex County) and Chatham (Morris County), 5.5 inches in Pennington (Mercer County), 5.3 inches in New Brunswick (Middlesex County), 4.8 inches in Ewing (Mercer County), 3.5 inches in Holmdel (Monmouth County), 2.5 inches in Chesterfield (Burlington County), 2.0 inches in Pennsauken (Camden County) and Glassboro (Gloucester County), 1.7 inches in Mount Holly (Burlington County), 1.5 inches in Lindenwold (Camden County), 1.4 inches in Pittsgrove (Salem County) and 1.3 inches in Cream Ridge (Monmouth County). The winter storm was caused by the combination of a vigorous upper low from the Midwest and a Gulf of Mexico connection of moisture and low pressure systems. Two low pressure systems formed, one in response to the upper system in the Ohio Valley and one in the northeast Gulf of Mexico on Thursday the 8th. On Friday morning the 9th, the Ohio Valley low pressure system moved into the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico low pressure system moved northeast to the North Carolina coast. A third low pressure system formed in response to the strong upper level support on the Delmarva Peninsula. The low pressure system along the Delmarva Peninsula became the primary low as both the Great Lakes and North Carolina Coast lows weakened. The Delmarva low pressure system rapidly intensified during the day on Friday the 9th. It went from 1009 millibars just west of the Long Island Buoy at 10 a.m. EST on the 9th, to a 996 mb low just south of Rhode Island at 1 p.m. EST on the 9th to about a 988 mb low between Masachusetts and Nova Scotia at 7 p.m. EST. At 7 a.m. EST on Saturday the 10th, the low was at least 979 mb just south of Newfoundland. In 24 hours the low deepened by about 36 millibars. In spite of its quick movement and the late intensification, heavy snow and ice still fell across most of New Jersey.

Heavy Snow in HUNTERDON, NEW JERSEY
From 09-DEC-05 07:00:00 to 09-DEC-05 10:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Heavy Snow in MORRIS, NEW JERSEY
From 09-DEC-05 07:00:00 to 09-DEC-05 11:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Heavy Snow in SOMERSET, NEW JERSEY
From 09-DEC-05 08:00:00 to 09-DEC-05 11:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Heavy Snow in SUSSEX, NEW JERSEY
From 09-DEC-05 07:00:00 to 09-DEC-05 11:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Heavy Snow in WARREN, NEW JERSEY
From 09-DEC-05 07:00:00 to 09-DEC-05 11:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Winter Storm in CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY
From 09-DEC-05 08:00:00 to 09-DEC-05 10:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Winter Storm in CUMBERLAND, NEW JERSEY
From 09-DEC-05 07:00:00 to 09-DEC-05 09:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Winter Storm in GLOUCESTER, NEW JERSEY
From 09-DEC-05 08:00:00 to 09-DEC-05 10:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Winter Storm in MERCER, NEW JERSEY
From 09-DEC-05 07:00:00 to 09-DEC-05 09:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Winter Storm in MIDDLESEX, NEW JERSEY
From 09-DEC-05 08:00:00 to 09-DEC-05 11:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Winter Storm in NORTHWESTERN BURLINGTON, NEW JERSEY
From 09-DEC-05 08:00:00 to 09-DEC-05 10:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Winter Storm in SOUTHEASTERN BURLINGTON, NEW JERSEY
From 09-DEC-05 08:00:00 to 09-DEC-05 10:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Winter Storm in WESTERN ATLANTIC, NEW JERSEY
From 09-DEC-05 07:00:00 to 09-DEC-05 09:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Winter Storm in WESTERN MONMOUTH, NEW JERSEY
From 09-DEC-05 09:00:00 to 09-DEC-05 11:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Winter Weather in SALEM, NEW JERSEY
From 09-DEC-05 03:00:00 to 09-DEC-05 10:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Winter Weather in WESTERN CAPE MAY, NEW JERSEY
From 09-DEC-05 03:00:00 to 09-DEC-05 10:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Winter Weather in WESTERN OCEAN, NEW JERSEY
From 09-DEC-05 03:00:00 to 09-DEC-05 11:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER